The internet takes another victim...my mother

[tenders]

The irony of simultaneously posting this information on the internet at a site focusing on Macs, and blaming the internet for the winding down of the business, which arguably has been driven by the successful business model of the Apple Store, should not be overlooked.

[D-Rod]

It was tough after my father died and then a few years later my younger brother died. He was working on web sites and such and was a very big Mac evangelist. I put up a small site for her. It got tons of hits but we never set it up as taking orders directly. Mom is up in years, doesn't know anything about computers and I am working 2 jobs and just did not have the time. Many bands for the last few years would sell their CD on their web site first and wouldn't even sell to my mother until they sold it for 2 or 3 months first.

My dad used to run many big polka dances and even had a place called Polkatown Park with live radio broadcasts every week. He would travel this half of the country wholesaling the records.

[the_poochies]

There are plenty of first-generation Polish immigrants in my area, and the ones I met certainly don't dig polka music. They seem to be into rap and guido techno dance music.

I've had a few relatives play in polka bands and hired the DJs from the local Polish National Home to play at my wedding (much to the chagrin of my Irish in-laws, but since I was the sucker paying for the wedding...)

Drop me a line and I may be able to take some of her CDs off of her hands. I'm usually looking for some bands like Happy Louie, Dynatones, Chicago Brass, Stanky & the Coal Miners and the Polka Family.

[Numo]

[quote cbelt3]However......

I look to my Aunt's experience, where her Berkely CA based business started by local artisans was completely destroyed by illegal Chinese knock-offs of their art pottery pieces. They went out of business three years ago, despite 'protection' from the US copyright laws.
Have you ever looked at where the (whatever) you just bought was manufactured? It can be very difficult to find something that wasn't made in China. When consumers base their decisions on price (as I admittedly often do), the cheaper Chinese goods will always win. I don't know if this trend is inevitable, but it sure seems that manufacturing in this country may be largely eliminated.

What worries me about this trend are the social consequences - we are losing so many blue-collar jobs that don't require a college education. If you aren't college-bound, how are you going to support a family on a minimum wage job? Why should you even try?

[chas_m]

Sorry to hear about your mom's store, but as you say she was getting "up in years" and didn't want to/couldn't learn how to set up a shopping site, so it's probably time to retire.

I hope some enterprising company calls her and offers her a consulting job helping them build POLKAEMPIRE.COM or something like that.

Sure was nice of NPR to memorialise this passing so nicely. Maybe we should all throw THEM a few bucks so THEY don't go the way of the polka record store, huh?

[JoeH]

[quote the_poochies]There are plenty of first-generation Polish immigrants in my area, and the ones I met certainly don't dig polka music. They seem to be into rap and guido techno dance music.

...
From my observations, polka music was popular within the immigrant community comprised of those who came here starting in the early 1900's up until maybe the 1950's. They and the next generation or three kept up their interest in polka. But the generations born past the '70's mostly have been uninterested.

[Forrest]

>>.....The store welcomed many legends of polka music, like Frankie Yankovic and Li’l Wally Jagiello.

I'm not a fan of Polka - but am a fan of Wierd Al Yankovic

[Article Accelerator]

[quote Dennis R].....The store welcomed many legends of polka music, like Frankie Yankovic and Li’l Wally Jagiello.
What, no Walter Ostanek? No Happy Wanderers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Wanderers

[ho'ard]

[quote Bixby]What stopped her from expanding her brick and mortar shop to the internet? It could have become *the* place to find polka and polish stuff online.
I agree with this sentiment. One of the strengths of the internet is that it can make very esoteric items available to collectors and enthusiasts everywhere. Were your family capable, it could have sustained and even grown the business.

[D-Rod]

Here is a link to what is left of her web site. If you check the photo archives you will see a very young me with Fabien.

http://rudasrecords.com/